Well I just couldn't wait any longer and had to get these commies out of Moscow and onto American snow.
(swapping bindings)
Out of the Box - The absolute most beautiful top sheets I have ever seen on any snow sliding device period. There's an extra layer of Fiber glass or something going on here and it really shines. You can't see the grain of the graphic print the way you can on most skiboards, seriously they look like a new car, the construction is incredible. Bases came with a solid wax, edges are thick and razor sharp. It pains me knowing how I'm taking a Rolls Royce to a demolition derby, these should actually be perserved for future generations of skiboard designers to study but then I couldn't shred them.
Specs:
One of the key characteristics of Twoowt boards is that they are rock solid and super stiff and this carries right over to the Sova. The first day I rode these the conditions were powder on top of powder, and snowing heavily the whole time. Exactly what I wanted them for.
This is the first rocker/zero-camber board I've owned and I was a little bit worried about how these might skate and most importantly the aft stability. Well, I'm happy to report that you can ride these on your heels although you won't be needing to much and you won't be doing the classic skiboarder banana peel. At 111 cm long, and thick sidewalls you've got an incredible amount of fore/aft stability even with the rocker. These could be considered, "The shortest longboard". Skating just required slightly altering my technique, they skate, not as nicely as a cambered board but they do have an incredible glide.
Surf, is what these are all about but they also do really well in the air, surprisingly I've hit the biggest air/steepest drops yet this season on these zero-camber/rocker boards in just two sessions. This is bliss.
Speed, what lovely boards to let rip. I like to go fast in general but sometimes riding with all my snowboard friends I end up making a lot more turns and 'appreciating' the run while they rip a big fat straight line down "beating" me to the lift, even though its not a race, right? Well, now I still appreciate all the nuances of a run skiboarders get to enjoy, they just go by faster and I'm waiting for my friends at the end.
Input, just like other wide body boards your going to have to put some effort in getting on edge to make commanding turns. They aren't going to hold your hand, but the rocker will save your face.. I hit a few deep ruts riding center, something that would have resulted in a face plant on any cambered board and just rode it out. I'm pretty sure Sergey designed these for Ivan Drago specifically as they are even heavier than the Condors.
Overall first impressions. This is an advanced riders dream board, provided your dreams are made out of powder. They scream out to ridden as aggressively as you dare and open a whole new envelope of performance. Will be recording some runs ASAP.
In the coming weeks I have a lot of binding experimentation to do but my trusty setup from last year works, so if it ain't broke. Having a pair of Condors and a pair of Sova's compliment each other immensely, the two boards feel pretty much interchangeable in the sense they really can just go anywhere no matter how much snow you need to deal with.
(swapping bindings)
Out of the Box - The absolute most beautiful top sheets I have ever seen on any snow sliding device period. There's an extra layer of Fiber glass or something going on here and it really shines. You can't see the grain of the graphic print the way you can on most skiboards, seriously they look like a new car, the construction is incredible. Bases came with a solid wax, edges are thick and razor sharp. It pains me knowing how I'm taking a Rolls Royce to a demolition derby, these should actually be perserved for future generations of skiboard designers to study but then I couldn't shred them.
Specs:
One of the key characteristics of Twoowt boards is that they are rock solid and super stiff and this carries right over to the Sova. The first day I rode these the conditions were powder on top of powder, and snowing heavily the whole time. Exactly what I wanted them for.
This is the first rocker/zero-camber board I've owned and I was a little bit worried about how these might skate and most importantly the aft stability. Well, I'm happy to report that you can ride these on your heels although you won't be needing to much and you won't be doing the classic skiboarder banana peel. At 111 cm long, and thick sidewalls you've got an incredible amount of fore/aft stability even with the rocker. These could be considered, "The shortest longboard". Skating just required slightly altering my technique, they skate, not as nicely as a cambered board but they do have an incredible glide.
Surf, is what these are all about but they also do really well in the air, surprisingly I've hit the biggest air/steepest drops yet this season on these zero-camber/rocker boards in just two sessions. This is bliss.
Speed, what lovely boards to let rip. I like to go fast in general but sometimes riding with all my snowboard friends I end up making a lot more turns and 'appreciating' the run while they rip a big fat straight line down "beating" me to the lift, even though its not a race, right? Well, now I still appreciate all the nuances of a run skiboarders get to enjoy, they just go by faster and I'm waiting for my friends at the end.
Input, just like other wide body boards your going to have to put some effort in getting on edge to make commanding turns. They aren't going to hold your hand, but the rocker will save your face.. I hit a few deep ruts riding center, something that would have resulted in a face plant on any cambered board and just rode it out. I'm pretty sure Sergey designed these for Ivan Drago specifically as they are even heavier than the Condors.
Overall first impressions. This is an advanced riders dream board, provided your dreams are made out of powder. They scream out to ridden as aggressively as you dare and open a whole new envelope of performance. Will be recording some runs ASAP.
In the coming weeks I have a lot of binding experimentation to do but my trusty setup from last year works, so if it ain't broke. Having a pair of Condors and a pair of Sova's compliment each other immensely, the two boards feel pretty much interchangeable in the sense they really can just go anywhere no matter how much snow you need to deal with.
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